Synonymy: BOULENGER (1894) synonymzied this species with Drymarchon corais.

Diagnosis. Drymarchon couperi is distinguished by a suite of molecular and morphological features, including relatively longer and deeper head dimensions, longer and shallower th infralabials, and longer temporal scales. Overall, the presence of a longer and shallow th infralabial scale provides the best univariate predictor for this species (Table 3; Fig. 5). Based on both DNA (Krysko et al. 2016) and morphology (specimens examined in this study) this species includes populations from southeastern Georgia southward along the Atlantic coast to central peninsular Florida (Krysko et al. 2016).

Distribution: populations on the gulf coast of Florida and west to Mississippi have been assigned to D. kolpobasileus (Krysko et al. 2016). See map in Krysko et al. 2016: 561 (Fig. ).

Etymology

after James Hamilton Couper who collected (or provided) the type specimen to Holbrook.

Crother, B. I. 2000. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. Herpetological Circular 29: 1-82